Title IV-E Waiver Evaluation
Evaluation of Oregon’s Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Project II
Project Years: 2004 – 2009
Funding Source: Oregon Department of Human Services
Description: In April 2004, Oregon’s Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Project was renewed for five years. Oregon’s Waiver uses flexible funds to implement innovative services and subsidized guardianship. The evaluation contains three components:
- Monitoring targeted CFSR outcomes related to permanency and safety for innovative services funded by Waiver flexible funds.
- Evaluation of enhanced visitation services funded by the Waiver. Evaluation will be conducted between 2007 and 2009 and consists of a detailed process study and descriptive outcome study. The goals of the process study are to describe enhanced visitation programs, identify case and branch level factors associated with targeted outcomes, and examine the broader effects of enhanced visitation services funded by the Waiver. The outcome study will examine permanency and safety outcomes for 3 groups: (1) cases from the intervention group who participate in enhanced visitation, (2) cases from the intervention group who do not participate in enhanced visitation, and (3) cases from the comparison group.
- Evaluation of subsidized guardianship contains both outcome and process components. The goals of the process evaluation are to: (1) describe the subsidized guardianship program; (2) determine the proportion of eligible cases that successfully establish guardianship; (3) compare subsidized guardianship cases to cases with other permanency outcomes; and (4) identify system and case level barriers and facilitators of timely subsidized guardianship. The goals of the outcome evaluation include: (1) assess stability, safety, and impact of guardianships; (2) identify barriers and facilitators to maintaining guardianships; and (3) determine dissolution and re-referral rates for subsidized guardianship cases compared with cases with other permanency outcomes.
For general questions about the Title IV-E Waiver evaluation project, contact:
Angela Rodgers, rodgersa@pdx.edu, (503) 725-8022
For questions related to the subsidized guardianship component, contact:
Anna Rockhill, Rockhill@pdx.edu, 503-725-8007
Evaluation of Oregon’s Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Project I
Project Years: 1997- 2002
Funding Source: Oregon Department of Human Services
Description: Oregon was among the first cohort of states to implement a Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Project, granted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Waiver was an opportunity to experiment with a proportion of previously earmarked foster care maintenance dollars to examine whether access to additional flexible funds contributed to better outcomes for children and families. Oregon’s first Waiver was a five year systems change initiative. There were four broad categories of flexible fund expenditures: (1) foster care prevention, (2) expansion of existing services, (3) innovative services, and (4) subsidized guardianship. The evaluation of the Waiver included both process and impact components.
Contact: Kirstin O’Dell, odellk@pdx.edu, 503-399-5152
Publications:
Oregon’s Title IV-E Waiver Evaluation, Final Report Synopsis [PDF]
Evaluation of Oregon’s Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Project, Final Report [PDF]
Article: Lehman, C.M., Liang, S., and O’Dell, K. (2005). Impact of flexible funds on placement and permanency outcomes for children in child welfare. Research on Social Work Practice, 15 (5), p381-388.
